Cafeteria vs Math Class
by thewizardanthedragon
Summary: CJ is now a sophmore and she isn't having much fun. Who needs to go to math class?  WARNING - CP/spanking of minor DON'T LIKE DON'T READ - may also contain mild course language
1. Chapter 1

The rest of the summer went by with lightening speed. CJ had spent the week after the rafting accident hanging out with Gibbs and helping him get the house ready for another winter. On the last day with him they'd gotten so much accomplished and the memory of the incident had faded enough that Gibbs took CJ to the batting cages for old time sake.

They eventually retrieved her bike from Hanlon Park and CJ was mobile once again.

The schedules arrived and 'the gang' compared them together at the park. The problem was that this year most of them were Juniors and so had a different lunch period. Even Steven who was taking a mixed bag of coursed ended up with a Junior lunch slot. That left only Ainsley and CJ with Freshman/Sophomore lunch. That sucked so much. Lunch was really the only time they had at school to hang out. Most of them being bus students they got there just before morning bell and only had 20 minutes at the end of the day before the bus took them home.

On the first day of school CJ stepped off the bus with a confident grin and spring in her step that was not there the previous year. They played the "can you spot the freshman" game and laughed all the way to first period.

By the end of the first week that not sharing lunch break really was getting annoying and had to be fixed. CJ had even gone into the guidance office to see about switching courses and schedules, but to no avail.

They couldn't even plan pranks at school, all planning would have to happen on the weekends. It really did put a damper on the whole social part of school and since that was the part CJ was enjoying it really changed how she felt about being there every day.

Owen was the first to suggest it, just don't go to math class. "You have math when we have lunch, it's your best subject and you say it's boring as hell and you aren't learning anything… just don't go…"

At first CJ thought he'd dislocated his brain on the river as well as his hip. But as they made their way into week three and she was getting more and more socially deprived the idea sounded better and better. Cutting class was something CJ had never considered let alone tried.

But on the Tuesday of the third week of classes CJ ran into Avery on his way to the cafeteria and it only took 2 "C'mon CJ"'s before she was following him to their usual table and not going to math class. They had a great time and finally started talking about setting up a few pranks. They laughed, joked and every few minutes someone would call out a math question for CJ to answer so that she could feel like she was doing what she was suppose to be doing.

It was way too easy. Just don't show up. Way too easy. The whole "there might be consequences" didn't even dawn on CJ until the ride home and even then it was a passing fancy. The evening passed without so much as a question of how were classes and she sailed through dinner without a hiccough. Yep, way too easy.

And then Wednesday arrived. CJ made her way to her first class and as announcements finished Mr. Roberts placed a small pink slip on CJ's desk. CJ had never seen a pink slip in her life. She had heard of them, she knew they were a combination hall pass appointment card. The appointment was with Mr. Black the deputy principal. The hall pass was because the appointment was in the middle of classes. The only reason you got an appointment with a deputy principal, there were two because of the size of the school, was because you were up to 'it' in spades.

The knot that immediately formed in CJ's stomach made her almost lose her breakfast. She hadn't been on the inside of an office in… in years… it could be measured in years. Which for a split second made CJ smile, until she realized she would be in the deputy principal's office at 10 am.

The morning dragged on and on it was as if the clocks all stopped moving completely just to torment her. On a couple of occasions CJ tried to snap herself out of it. Jeez she said to herself, this is the not the first time you've landed in it. You'll be find she gave herself a pep talk. She didn't have a class with one of her friends until after lunch… so she had no one to commiserate with.

9:58 and she quietly excused herself from English class and made her way to the office. She smiled again when she didn't know what to do. She had been at the school for a year and hadn't the slightly clue where to go or what to do. That had been the longest stretch she'd stayed out of trouble. Well the longest she'd gone without getting caught anyway.

She entered the open office area hesitantly and looked around. There was a large counter behind which 2 secretaries sat, one for each deputy principal, office doors to the each side of the desk where the deputy principals had 'private' offices and a bench along the wall opposite where students waited for their appointments. Looking at CJ the middle aged woman behind the counter closest to the door asked "You need something deary? You looked lost."

"Ah, ya, I have an .. appointment" CJ wasn't sure exactly what to call the meeting and so she just waved the pink slip in the air. The knot in her stomach gave a lurch and she felt weak. All sorts of scenarios playing out in her head and not one of them was a happily ever after ending.

The secretary gestured for CJ to hand her the slip, which she did and waited to be told what to do.

"You deary are here to see Mr. Black. He's backed a moment so you'll have to sit on the bench until he can see you."

"Thanks Ms. Turkington" see said looking at the name plate to get the woman's name.

Until that very moment CJ had failed to recall that Steven's cousin Natalie, whom she had met at a bar b q that summer was the second secretary, the one who worked directly with Mr. Black. Catching Natalie's eye she nodded and tried to go sit on the bench. Natalie would have nothing of the sort.

"CJ what are you doing here?" genuinely surprised to find CJ in the office.

Embarrassed and turning the brightest shade of red, CJ once again waved the pink slip in the air.

"Oh" Natalie was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered and asked how Steven was doing as she hadn't seen him since the barbq. The conversation flowed effortlessly and so when Mr. Black opened his door and called CJ by name she was startled back to reality as to why she was there in the first place. Natalie patting CJ's hand and offering a supportive smile quietly went back to work.

CJ entered the office and Mr. Black quietly closed the door before taking his seat. The office, if you could call it that was not much bigger than a large walk in closet. The desk was pushed up against the wall to give Mr. Black more room to move. CJ stood there beside his chair hand on his desk to steady herself. The stressful rollercoaster that had been her morning was not shaping up to be worth sitting with her friends for lunch. Quietly and gently Mr. Black began.

"CJ it seems that Mr. McLean has marked you absent in math class yesterday. Why might that be?"

Giving her best charismatic smile she could under the circumstances CJ began with a lightness in her tone she was not feeling. "Well, sir, that would be because I wasn't there sir"

"You weren't there?"

"No sir, I wasn't there"

"You knew you were suppose to be there though, right?"

"Yes sir I did know I was supposed to be there, I just wasn't there."

"I see. Where were you then, if you were not in math class with Mr. McLean as you were supposed to be?"

"In the cafeteria sir"

"In the cafeteria?"

"Yes sir"

"You do realize that I need to give you a detention for cutting class, don't you?"

"I guess I knew something would happen, I wasn't sure what, you see I've never been in this situation before sir"

"Well then you will serve detention this afternoon after classes."

"Yes sir" and with that he handed CJ three more pink pieces of paper. The first a hall pass to get back into class. The second a slip of paper for detention in room 302. The third a punishment slip that needed a parent's signature.

Reading each paper in turn on the way back to class CJ's heart beat so fast she could hardly think straight. She found her desk and sat quietly, paying no attention to the lesson going on. She had to think, she had to find a way around all this. There was a bit of a cascade effect. She was going to miss the bus because of the detention and then she wouldn't be able to hide why because she needed a signature for tomorrow. This was one royal mess for the sake of a 45 minute lunch period. CJ spent the rest of the day as a zombie and when she finally caught up with some of her friends in their afternoon class she told them what had happened and what was going to happen.

Atti, always the helpful friend, suggested she just skip the detention as well and sign the slip herself. She did spend a whole 30 seconds thinking about it before Steven knocked some sense into her and told her that would definitely make things worse. "Just go to the detention and take the city bus home. You're parents are always late and you'll get there before them. But I am with Atti on the sign the paper yourself thing."

CJ was stunned. Steven was suggesting she purposely and deliberately break the rules. Yes, he'd follow along with other's plans but he had never before made the suggestion to break the rules. CJ momentarily flashed back to Steven in sixth grade hyperventilating because he'd forgotten his homework. He'd come a long way since then… she was probably mostly to blame for that. Talking it through and being with her friends she felt more at ease and better able to come up with a viable arrangement.

3:20 arrived and CJ found herself outside of room 302. Walking in she surveyed the lay of the land. It was one of the English department rooms that was used to house those students serving after school detentions. She handed her detention slip to the teacher at the front. In a bored and thoroughly unexcited voice he asked "You a bus student?"

"Yes" CJ answered honestly.

"You can leave at quarter to four to catch the bus, but you have to sign out first."

"OK" quickly different scenarios started to play in CJ's head. She was going to be able to catch the bus, she whispered to the obviously regular attendee at the back of the room "is he pulling my leg or can I really leave early to catch my bus"

"Nope, he's for real, parents complained that their kids were stranded at the school if they weren't allowed to catch the bus, even if in detention. The school has to let bus student catch their bus."

"Sweet! Thanks for your help". The older boy simply nodded.

CJ barely had time to work on anything before it was time for her to pack up and run for the bus. Steven was mystified when she hopped on board and snagged the seat beside him. "What … are … YOU… doing HERE?" he asked flabbergasted that she would skip out on detention. Why was she being suicidal?

On the way home she the whole detention letting out bus students early thing. Now all she had was the form... and really that was nothing… she had forged her father's signature years ago. That was not new, what was new is she was going to make sure he didn't find out about it this time.

The slight uneasy feeling she had when her parents arrived home and they asked about her day soon dissipated as the supper time conversation moved onto the nasty case they were working.

On Thursday morning CJ dropped the signed punishment form off with Natalie in the office and headed off to first class. It was over. No one knew what she'd done and all's well that ends well.

That was until she met Avery on the way to the cafeteria Monday morning.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey CJ… you comin' to lunch?" wrapping his arm around her shoulder and turning in the toward the cafeteria in the opposite direction of math class and started to walk. It was only a heartbeat of hesitation before CJ allowed herself to be lead away. For the second time in less than a week CJ was sitting eating lunch instead of listening to Mr. McLean's mathematics lesson.

The feeling of guilt and anxiety that CJ had felt the first time she had received a pink slip in first period was greatly diminished the second time round. She knew what to expect and the outcome.

When her appointment time arrived she made her was to the office and struck up a conversation with Natalie. Mr. Black smiled confusedly when he saw CJ standing at the counter and looked to his clipboard to see that CJ was to see him again.

Mr. Black had only met her once but her honestly and slight nervousness suggested to him that she wouldn't be pulling a stunt like that again. So it was with surprise that he led her into the office.

"Hello CJ" his greeting was light and more conversational than she had expected.

"Hello Mr. Black" CJ said bouncing on the balls of her feet with her hands in her back pockets and making sure she smiled as sweetly as possible.

"Miss DiNozzo, we seem to have a problem once again."

"Really sir, what could that be?"

"Mr. McLean seems to have marked you absent AGAIN from math class yesterday."

"Really sir?"

"Would you know why he would have done that?"

"I wasn't there, that would probably be why"

"Hmm, I thought we talked about how it is important for you to attend classes."

"We did" CJ nodded while still bouncing.

"Did you think about our conversation?"

"Yes"

"And what conclusion did you come to?" Mr. Black continued trying not to smile too much at her answers.

"I don't think you'll like my conclusions, but I can tell you if you would like." CJ waited for his response before continuing. He only nodded to encourage her to continue.

"If I go to math class it is 45 minutes of complete and utter boredom, if I go to the cafeteria I get 45 minutes with friends." She took a deep breath and spent a moment or two studying Mr. Black's face to judge the reaction to her explanation so far. "And I'm a bus student so going to detention is like 25 minutes of time. I figure it is a trade I'm willing to make."

"I see" over exaggerating his motions that suggest he was thinking.

CJ still bouncing and smiling waited patiently.

Without saying a word Mr. Black handed CJ the same three pieces of paper he had the week before. CJ didn't even read them on her way back to class. Unlike last week CJ didn't need to figure out what to do, she would go to detention, leave with the other bus students, sign the form herself and return it in the morning same as she did last time.

On the bus Steven began "CJ do you think it's a good idea to keep cuttin' class?"

"You're asking me this now? You were the one that suggested that I sign my father's name on the form. Or don't you remember?"

"I thought it was only the once, and the likelihood of getting caught was small. With each time you try this… the chances of being caught go up exponentially."

Standing to get off the bus CJ leaned down and patted his left cheek while landing a quick peck on the right cheek. "Thanks for lookin' out for me" she said turning and stepped off the bus.

The routine the two had started the previous year was quickly reinstated as soon as they were back at school. On this day they walked quietly to CJ's place and set up at the table. Steven spent most of the afternoon surreptitiously watching CJ rather than doing his homework. CJ caught him looking at her a few times but simply put her head down and continued working. Their silent studies were interrupted when Ziva came in. Steven made his hasty retreat only saying goodbye quietly under his breath.

"He is a very friendly boy, is he not" Ziva ventured.

"Yep" CJ did not want to have any such conversation so didn't engage with the conversation.

"You are going to make sure you make smart choices, yes?"

Confused by the comment and trying to figure what her mother was insinuating. The conversation had gone from boys to … to what … because CJ was sure there was no way her mother knew about her cutting class.

"Yes? I will make smart choices" trying to agree with her mother so that the conversation would move on.

"Things can happen with two people and choices that are made can change future choices, yes?" Ziva continued.

CJ was very confused now so sat quietly and waited.

"So you will make good choices, you will be careful, you will make the right decisions so that you do not affect your future, yes?"

And then a light bulb went on in CJ's head, this was supposed to be a sex talk. Don't sleep with Steven and if you do be careful. CJ laughed when the realization hit and then to end the conversation before it became more detailed she said "Mama, I will make good decisions, I will be careful and you do not need to worry". While speaking she had stood and made her way to beside her mother. Before leaving for her bedroom she hugged her mother and smiled.

Throwing herself on her bed CJ rolled her eyes and finally allowed herself to feel the embarrassment of the conversation that had just taken place with her mom. Shaking her head she got back to more serious matters. School was BORING. How was she going get things back on the "fun" track? Because this going to classes with no friends in them, eating most lunches with just Ainsley and pulling no pranks was just not working for her.

CJ decided she would go to the guidance department and see if she could arrange to just write the exams for her math class therefore eliminating the need to be in attendance.

The following morning she booked an appointment with the lovely guidance counselor Mr. Moore for later that afternoon. She entered the meeting with good reasoning to back up her requests. But she left the guidance office in more of a snit than she entered it. Mr. Moore understood her predicament, that she had been doing math independently for years and that she had already covered this material but there was no precedent for simply writing the exam. She would have to continue to attend class and write the exam at the end of the year with the other students.

The following day CJ ate lunch with her friends and math class be damned. She had tried to do it "right" and it was the stupid lack of precedent that stopped her. So she would do it the "wrong" way.

She had the whole weekend to contemplate what she was going to say to Mr. Black. She was willing to take the detention but wanted to explain to him that it was pointless and that she had tried to go through the correct channels and maybe he could do something about it. It was her "day in court" so to speak.

Monday morning arrived and she had all her arguments ready for when the pink slip arrived in first period. She waited ready to make her case. Her appointment time finally arrived and she made her way to the office. Natalie made some comments about seeing her more often then was probably good but CJ just smiled and leaned against the counter waiting for Mr. Black to call her into the office.

He appeared at the door clipboard in hand as a scared looking freshman scurried away. "CJ…CJ…CJ you are here AGAIN? Come on in".

As soon as he was seated and CJ was standing to the left of his desk as had occurred on every other occasion CJ began without the usual why weren't you there interlude.

"Look… I wasn't there… that's why I was marked absent… I don't think it is right that I need to go to class. I have already covered this material and I have tried to talk to the guidance department about just writing the exam today and not having to go to class. But for whatever reason they won't let me do that.. anyway… I tried to go about this the right way .. and that didn't work… so I will continue to cut class as I see no advantage to going." She finally stopped her rant and Mr. Black took a few seconds to respond.

"CJ cutting class is not the answer and you are required to go to class to get the credit."

That piece of information was new to CJ and now she was the one taking a few moments to compose her answer.

"That being the case, I will ensure that I attend sufficient classes that I get the credit, I will write the tests and I will attend the midterm and final exams. But I will let you know that you should just stop asking me to come here as I will gladly trade lunch with friends for the 25 minute detention at the end of the day."

"I was pretty sure that the detention to lunch hour with friends trade off was one you would willingly accept daily if necessary… so that is why I had previously decided that should I see you on my clipboard again that I would not be giving you a detention."

A victorious smile flashed across CJ's face but faded quickly when he instructed "hold out your hand CJ".

"Mr. Black, really, do you think that is necessary." She hadn't expected him to up the stakes.

"You said it yourself, you are willing to trade lunch for detention, it is my job to ensure you attend classes and so I need to find something you are not willing to trade for. You created this situation."

"Sir, really, let's think about this, I have been completely honest with you and explained my position, I have tried to find alternatives to cutting class. That has to count for something. Doesn't it?"

"It does. I respect your approach and that you are as honest and straight forward as you are but I also need you to understand that this is something that you need to do regardless of your aversion for sitting through Mr. McLean's math lessons."

"FINE" she huffed while holding her left hand out palm up. This was not new to CJ and although she hadn't expected this to be the outcome of today's meeting she wasn't entirely shocked either.

Rifling through his desk Mr. Black finally found what he had been looking for: a small wooden ruler. He turned to CJ and was caught off guard at how casually she was standing before him. There were two options for her cool demeanor. The first she had no idea what was about to happen and the second was that she was so familiar that she wasn't worried. He hadn't looked at her student file as he liked to make his own decisions about students and only referred to them when there was a difficult case. In that moment he decided that although CJ wasn't difficult he wanted more information.

CJ huffed impatiently during his moment of reflection and he was brought back to the present. Raising the ruler only a small distance above her out stretched hand he let it fall. CJ felt it land and took a few moments to process that although it had left a sting in its wake it was far less than an overzealous high five. Mr. Black applied 2 more taps of the same strength and then placed the ruler on the desk. CJ tried very hard to not looked surprised and left her hand raised just in case he was going to lecture further before actually punishing her.

"CJ go to class, you're a student, students go to class. Each time I see you in my office the punishment will increase in severity. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, sir" placing her hands in her back pockets. She was waiting to be dismissed. She wasn't sure what paperwork went with this sort of scenario. It was in that second that it occurred to her he might call her parents rather than send a punishment slip home. It was only a few seconds before she was handed to slips of paper, a hall pass and a yellow slip she read on the way back to class. It was exactly like the detention pink slip but was yellow and in place of detention it said 3 strokes to hand. Ok, she thought to herself, same plan, sign it and keep trucking.


	3. Chapter 3

Steven just shook his head when CJ showed up on the bus obviously too early to have served a detention. "You cuttin' detention now as well?" He asked rather amazed.

"Nah, didn't get a detention" CJ was being non specific on purpose she knew he would start to worry about her with the change in Mr. Black's routine.

With an impressed look on his face he exclaimed "He listened to your plan? He's going to let it go?"

"Not exactly" CJ hadn't meant to imply Mr. Black was just letting everything slide.

"Well what then?" he pressured.

"I'll tell you if you promise not to start worrying…. OK?"

"Why would I worry… what's there to worry about?" raising his hands in an I'm not guilty sort of manner.

CJ explained the conversation and how things were going to be from that point forward. The discussion all the way home was what exactly did Mr. Black mean and was there any way CJ could get him to see her side of the argument. Very little homework got completed as they visited over sodas and snacks. When supper time approached and no one was yet home CJ suggested she should probably start making something and Steven realized he should probably be heading home. CJ standing at the counter cutting up vegetables smiled affectionately when Steven approached to say goodbye.

With his heart in his throat and sweat on his palms Steven placed a hand on each side of CJ's waist and turned her so that they were facing each other. CJ's dark eyes sparkled and her hair wrapped itself around the front of her neck. With his right hand he gently pulled her hair away from her face and then left it gently holding her cheek. His hand tipped back her head and he leaned forward and carefully lowered his own face. Watching carefully her reaction he continued to come closer until their lips finally met. He kissed her sweetly. Said a whispered "goodbye CJ" and left quicker than you could imagine possible.

CJ was left watching after him, hip leaning against the counter, paring knife in hand. A contented smile spread across her face. Turning back to the massacre of the vegetables CJ pondered what had just happened. They had been skirting around such things and now maybe things would be a little more transparent. Or knowing Steven… maybe not. Never the less CJ made dinner considering what to say to Steven so as not to scare him away or make him feel embarrassed.

Ziva and Tony both arrived home together and found a quiet contemplating CJ already eating dinner.

"Didn't wait for us" Tony said jokingly.

Raising her eyebrows in a way Gibbs would have been proud she went back to eating.

"Guess we're not the most predictable people when it comes to arrival times" he continued, punching CJ in the arm in a friendly way.

Again she answered with a glare, lovingly, but a glare none the less.

They sat around talking about school and work and CJ made sure to avoid anything that may lead to a conversation about math, the office, lunch time or Steven for that matter. But there was enough going on at the NCIS headquarters and an interesting case happening that CJ wasn't the topic of conversation for long. CJ excused herself explaining that she had extra homework that night and she hadn't finished and sequestered herself in her room.

She had decided that sending a nonchalant email to Steven about the day and homework would make sure he realized that he hadn't scared her away and she was ok with his advances. She had been ready for a while for things to "change" between them. But with years of friendship and neither of them wanting to screw that up things were moving slowly and carefully. Probably for the best, but really somewhat frustrating as well.

Tuesday and Wednesday found CJ in math class as there was a test and she wanted to make sure she attended review and testing to maintain her A average. If she let that drop then no one would believe she could just write tests and exams and be successful.

Thursday arrived and CJ was the first one of the group in the cafeteria at "their" table. Owen clapped her on the back and Atti just smiled. You really do have a death wish don't you Ashley asked. With Halloween just around the corner CJ brought up the suggestion that they needed to come up with a decent prank. School was far too boring without such challenges as dodge the teachers while cutting class and prank a week games going on.

Meanwhile shy, panic about everything Steven that CJ had met years ago was now holding her hand openly while walking down the hall. Giving her a kiss every time they parted ways and generally flaunting that they were finally officially a couple.

XXXXXXX

Friday morning CJ waited for what seemed like her now regularly scheduled appointment with Mr. Black. She was once again going to try to prove her case. So as she leaned up against the counter chatting with Natalie, the secretary, CJ calmly waited. She was not expecting anything too different from their last conference.

Mr. Black leaned against the door, clipboard in hand, shaking his head grimacing. "CJ, IN" pointing to his office. CJ hadn't seen Mr. Black anything but happy. So even though his current state could only be described as mildly annoyed it was quite different. He closed the door forcefully but not actually slamming it. CJ was able to maintain her calm façade as she stood watching Mr. Black take his seat.

"CJ we have been over this many many times. You have to go to class, boring or not. You have to GO!"

CJ explained her position once again. She was thorough and meticulous in her description of her point of view. She stood quietly when she was finished waiting for him to say something. He sat staring at her for some time.

"CJ what do I need to do or say that is going to get you to understand that you need to listen. You need to follow the rules. You need to go to class EVERYDAY."

"I understand your point sir. I will take it under advisement" trying to sound convincing that she really was considering his recommendation to attend math class.

CJ was only moderately surprised when Mr. Black pulled a small wooden paddle from the opposite side of his desk. CJ didn't wait for direction she simply turned and bent over holding the closest edge of the desk.

This action caused Mr. Black to pause again. He hadn't had a chance to look at CJ's file. He'd been busy and really her truancy was far down the list of issues that he needed to deal with on a daily basis. But since her lack of ability to follow through on instructions to show up at all assigned classes he decided to put reading it higher up the importance list.

He landed three quick swats of the paddle on CJ's backside. None of them particularly hard, they were more a warning of what was to come if she didn't start walking the line. CJ stood as soon as there was a long enough pause in motion behind her and didn't bother waiting for instructions once again. There were no tears in CJ's eyes and she wasn't even all that ticked off with what had happened. He had warned her and she had not heeded that warning.

"CJ I am serious about my warning. Are we clear?"

"Crystal, sir"

"That's what you said last time. I am hoping that this time your crystal has good clarity."

Smiling at his statement CJ responded "Yes, sir" before letting herself out.

'The Gang' hung out in CJ's living room on Saturday night as they did most Saturday nights and while playing cards serious discussion was had regarding the need for a prank. They'd been in school for weeks and weeks and had set nothing up. For historical reasons Halloween was the deadline date. A few minutes of the evening was spent discussing CJ's little problem of math class and Mr. Black. Half the group basically came to the conclusion that she just needed to suck it up and go to class. The other half said push it as far as she could and maybe they would break eventually.

There was even a split second in CJ's own thought process that had her approach her mother to help her out. But quickly that was tossed in the trash as a poor idea as it would mean admitting to previous wrong doings.

XXXXXX

Mr. Black retrieved CJ's file late Friday afternoon and sat reading it well past quitting time. It was a long and interesting read. It explained a lot about her actions, her responses and her nerve. He would have to think things through to figure out how to use the new information to per sway CJ to start behaving herself. He was hoping that she attended class for long enough that he could come up with a plan of action.

XXXXXXXX

Monday CJ attended math class to make sure she knew what was going on.

Tuesday CJ chose the cafeteria over Mr. McLean's class.

Wednesday CJ waited for the pink slip in first period and it didn't show. And so floating on air thinking she had finally convinced Mr. Black that she didn't need to go to class she went to the cafeteria for the second day in a row.

Thursday CJ waited for the pink slip in first period and it didn't show; AGAIN. She floated even higher, almost cloud nine, convinced that Mr. Black had given up on her. And since she was no longer on anyone's radar there was no need to go to Mr. McLean's class and for the third day in a row CJ was seated in her favourite seat in the cafeteria.


	4. Chapter 4

Friday.

Friday was generally thought of as a great day.

Friday started out wonderfully for CJ, she woke to a warm sunny fall day, looking forward to spending lunch in the sunshine in the quad with her friends making plans for the Halloween prank.

Friday became the day CJ would remember vividly well into her adult life.

Friday during first period Mr. Roberts approached her desk. Eye brows raised and with a strained smile he placed a red slip of paper on her desk. In the past he had simply handed her the paper but today he added "What have you done to get yourself into this mess?"

Unable to process what was happening while he was standing there her gaze dropped to the red paper on her desk. It was similar to those she had received in the past few weeks but with two very important differences the colour which CJ was sure was supposed to elicit the feeling of danger, and the person with whom the appointment was with. It wasn't Mr. Black she would be visiting but Mr. Cooperland the principal.

The worry that she had felt that first day she had been given a pink slip was nothing to the utter panic that was bubbling up inside of her at that very moment. She was having trouble breathing slowly and sitting in the desk was next to impossible. She still had over an hour to wait. She didn't hear one word of either of the lessons she was sitting through. She went from thinking an hour was too long to wait to being thankful as she was thinking through what had happened over the past month or so. Trying very hard to come up with a good way of explaining herself she went through several scenarios and how they may play out. In the end she had her strategy lined up as she walked with leaden feet towards Mr. Cooperland's office.

The principal's office was a large room off to the left of the main office area where all the teachers had mailboxes, the main secretaries sat and several helpers worked. It was a busy place. CJ had never had reason to go there and so very much like the first time she had been called to Mr. Black's office she was unsure of the exact procedure. Unlike the deputy principals' offices there was no line up of students waiting to see Mr. Cooperland. The older curt secretary addressed CJ "What did you need?"

"Ah … I… " having been caught off guard by the harshness in her voice CJ couldn't come up with an answer and instead handed her the red piece of paper and waited.

"Oh… you're that kid" the secretary replied a little less impatience in her tone.

All CJ could do was smile and hope that this was over very soon. She didn't think she could keep her wits about her much longer.

CJ stood there in the middle of the larger office area facing the secretary's desk as people moved about her oblivious to her predicament or even that she was there at all. She wasn't paying attention to all the movement and activity that was happening and so was startled when Mr. Black put his hand on her shoulder and in a tense tone directed CJ to "Come with me". It took her a few seconds to register who it was and that he was physically but gently guiding her towards Mr. Cooperland's door. When they arrived at the entrance to the office CJ pulled back against the firm grip Mr. Black now had on her shoulder.

"I don't think that would be a good idea Miss DiNozzo." Mr. Black said quiet enough that only she could hear him.

Mr. Black deposited her in the middle of the room. The office may have been different but the scenario was 'oh so familiar' to CJ. Taking in the scene around her brought CJ back to the more than one occasion where she had found herself in Mr. Thompson's office. CJ figured the big difference here was that Mr. Cooperland didn't know her from Adam and really she found that if people knew her they tended to be a little more understanding. She stood gulping in air in hopes of not passing out from lack of oxygen, doing that would really make the day worse.

CJ turned slightly to see Mr. Black leaning against the wall watching her. Mr. Cooperland still hadn't looked up from the file on his desk. It was a thick file, was that her's she thought. Things might go from very bad to very worse if he had knowledge of her history. He cleared his throat and as he did so CJ stood a little straighter, clasped her hands in the small of her back and looked straight ahead. If she couldn't see the anger and frustration in his eyes maybe it wouldn't be there, or be as intimidating.

"Mr. Black has come to me with a problem. He has tried to counsel you on the importance of attending all classes whether or not you feel they are important or worthy of your attention. He has also told me that regardless of his warnings and reprimands you continue to challenge the rules." He paused long enough that CJ thought maybe she should say something but since no direct question had been posed she remained silent just in case her mouth got her into more trouble as it had in many other instances.

"Do you disagree with Mr. Black's rendition of the events of the past month?"

Taking a deep breath and steadying her voice she began "Not entirely… I would just like to explain what I did to try and sort things out the right way"

"I'm listening" CJ was actually able to calm down a little as she had thought that maybe he wouldn't even bother taking the time to hear why she had done what she had. She then spent the next five minutes explaining herself as she had in Mr. Black's office. Ending with "and last week when I didn't get a pink slip for missing class on Tuesday I came to what I see now as… wrong… but at the time … I came to the conclusion that Mr. Black saw my side of things and was letting me attend those classes I saw as necessary."

Both men had stayed quiet and still during her rationalization and took several more minutes before either of them spoke. It was the principal that broke the silence first.

"CJ… I have another question for you. What did your father think of your cutting class and your feeble excuses?"

Not expecting that question CJ's immediate response was "pardon me".

"You had several detention slips and a couple of punishment slips, each of them signed by your father."

He waited and when CJ wasn't forthcoming with a response he continued.

"I guess I would have expected that if a parent had to sign that many forms in such a short span of time they may have said something. Expressed their displeasure in some way."

"OH… yes… well…" CJ had been caught so off guard and hadn't anticipated enquiries about the signature that she hadn't formulated appropriate answers prior to arrival. "Well you see… my father… he was a bit of a… trouble maker in his youth you see … "and before she got into actual lies she decided to quit while she was ahead or at least the semblance of being ahead.

Addressing Mr. Black behind CJ he said "You know Albert.. that is the problem with today's children… permissive parents that think they need to be their kids best friend and not a role model and disciplinarian."

CJ smirked and easily suppressed the snorted laugh as she thought to herself "No … I don't think that is the problem… not with THIS kid anyway…" .

"Mr. Black you are free to leave, CJ and I can handle things from here. Thank you for being here so that we could make sure we had an accurate account of the situation."

Both CJ and Mr. Cooperland followed Mr. Black's exit with their gaze and as soon as the door was closed the principal stood up. CJ had never seen him up close before, he was a very large man and his imposing figure made CJ swallow involuntarily. He removed his blazer and hung it over the back of his desk chair. He then undid each of his shirt sleeve buttons and one at a time rolled them up to mid forearm. This little ritual although somewhat foreboding actually brought CJ's thoughts into focus. She always felt better if she knew what was going to happen. And when the principal prepared himself in that manner it could only mean one thing. So when the order was given "assume the position". CJ was not at all shocked and was able to comply with only a second of reluctance.

It wasn't until CJ was bent over, hands gripping the closest edge of the desk for all she was worth that she saw Mr. Cooperland pick up the paddle that must have been to the side of his chair. CJ pursed her lips and held her breath awaiting the first lick. It landed with an enormous thwack and the breath was forced out of CJ. "Count aloud Miss." Was the instruction given when nothing came from CJ.

"One" CJ spat out through gritted teeth. Counting was not fair. It made it much harder to hold it together.

The second made contact almost immediately after the count. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly CJ spoke "two" quite softly. The surface of her ass was on fire and the underlying throbbing was incredible and she'd only taken two.

Swats 3 through 5 landed in succession and each was counted out in a growl by CJ, each harder to say as her voice was cracking and her backside was screaming out that it felt like it was about to explode.

CJ had taken many more licks in the past from Principal Thompson but they were nothing like this. Mr. Cooperland had a heavy hand was definitely trying to drive his point home.

Swat six landed with a deafening thwack and CJ was barely able to count it out as she was trying to hold it all together. Gibbs' line of 'you do the tricks you take the licks' ringing in her ears. She had without doubt pulled the tricks, taking the licks was not as easy has she had imagined.

Mr. Cooperland invited her to stand, which she did carefully as her well chastised bottom continued to yell out of its own accord. Standing in the office staring straight ahead, her cheeks glistening with quietly shed tears she waited to be dismissed. The man having replaced his clothing was seated at the desk filling out a sheet of red paper. Handing her the paper across the desk he added "Make sure you get your father's real signature on that piece of paper. I doubt you'll be able to the fact you've been paddled today."

"Yes, sir" CJ affirmed and cautiously walked out of the office and into the closest bathroom to get herself presentable for her next class.

She was miserable for the rest of the day. Sitting was beyond uncomfortable and Mr. Cooperland's last comment kept replaying in her head. The part that played most often was 'real signature', suggesting that they knew the others were fakes. If that was the case then how did they know? Did they trying matching it to one in her file, did they just assume because no parent would let their kid cut that number of classes without contacting the school directly, or heaven forbid had they called him. That last thought was the most worrisome. Yet they hadn't threatened to, they hadn't suggested in any way they had or would call. And the thing that convinced her that neither of them had talked to her father was his absence. He wasn't there, at the school, yelling alongside these two men.

It was the belief that her father didn't know that kept her sane for the rest of the day, allowed her to get on the bus and head home, allowed her to walk into house and smell coffee and not bolt down the street.


	5. Chapter 5

The aroma of brewing coffee was not one that she generally arrived home to but it did signify the presence of one Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the house. Steven had followed her in and both teens stood at the entrance taking off their shoes and collecting backpacks before heading into the kitchen.

Gibbs turned down his paper he was reading and smiled a welcoming greeting to them as they approached the table. CJ had to really make an effort to walk properly her ass still hurt and she had been doing a combination shuffle limp all the way home. Somewhat over exaggerated to make Steven laugh but now was not the time for jokes.

She studied her uncle's face, his expression was relaxed, he had smiled when they entered and his eyes were sparkly so she felt it was more than safe to approach him.

Gibbs in turn was studying CJ. She was definitely trying to conceal the paddling she received earlier that day, but the lay person probably wouldn't have been able to see it. She was unquestionably scrutinizing his reactions and he played his best calm cool and collected persona he knew how. He wanted as much information as possible before he let her have it. When she came up and leaned over to hug and kiss him he hugged her back and then lightly tapped her backside as she walked away. 'I really am a bastard' he thought but he wanted to see how she'd react.

He saw her shoulders raise only slightly as she caught herself cringing and then he was surprised at how leveled she was able to respond with a mischievous grin "What was that for?"

"Keep you honest" was all he said as he turned back to his paper.

Steven watched the entire scene play out in front of him. He was nervously tense for CJ, he knew damn well what would happen if anyone in the house found out about what had been happening at school. But the man was not exuding any anger or tension and so Steven slowly made his way into the kitchen.

"Hello Mr. Gibbs, would you like me to leave?"

"Not at all Steven, go ahead get to work" he answered almost off the cuff.

The two sat down at the table across from Gibbs, the hardest part was lowering herself in her chair without making it obvious she didn't want to be sitting at all. But he was behind the paper and she allowed herself a slight wince. The paper crinkled and CJ got the first tiny flutter in her stomach. But taking a deep breath, pulling out her books and looking at Steven she was able to suppress the feeling and continue.

Throughout the next hour the flutter came and went. Each time it was harder and harder to ignore and by the time Steven packed up his belongings and said goodbye CJ was on the edge of falling to pieces. And yet Gibbs had not done a thing, he hadn't done anything different than any other night he'd come when her parents were out of town, he hadn't said anything. Yet the flutter grew and grew and when Steven was walking out the front door and CJ was locking it behind him, the flutter would be better described as a rolling mass of centipedes at a wrestling match.

Standing at the front door longer than necessary brought Gibbs out of the kitchen to find CJ leaning shoulders against the door, right leg bent at the knee with the foot against the door as well. Her head was tilted back and her eyes were shut. He had arrived in front of her without her hearing a thing and so she jumped quite literally when she opened her eyes to find him standing three feet in front of her.

He just smiled, turned on his heel and headed back to the kitchen to start something for supper. CJ took a few seconds to make sure her heart was still beating, stood tall, took a deep breath and followed Gibbs into the kitchen. In those few seconds she had come to the conclusion that she was totally and royally screwed. He knew, he was just waiting, waiting for what she was unsure but she no longer questioned how the evening was going to end. But in true CJ fashion she was not going to act beaten, she was going put on a brave face and charismatic smile and optimistically hope for the best.

"Whatcha makin' for supper?" CJ asked as she came up to the counter beside him. He took note of her disposition, how Tony of her, deeper than the grand canyon in shit and yet she kept on trucking like there was nothing wrong.

"I looked in the fridge, but I think maybe we should call for take out what do you think?" he asked.

"Sure, fine with me" she said reaching for the drawer where they kept the entire collection of take out menus "did you have something specific in mind?"

His observations continued as she returned to the table to finish up her school work. He saw her periodically look through the top of her eyes at him assessing his thoughts and actions. He saw her surreptitiously maneuver her leg onto the chair to help keep her already sore behind off the seat.

CJ had been finished her homework for about 15 minutes by the time the delivery guy arrived with their food. She had stayed at the table simply flipping through a text book so that she could keep an eye on Gibbs. She thought that if she could see him at all times she couldn't be surprised by him sneaking up on her again and being caught off guard would really throw her ability to maintain the bravado she was currently preserving with great effort.

Handing out the food and chopsticks Gibbs returned to his place at the table and leaned back in the chair, ready to begin.

"So how has school been? I haven't seen you since the first day of school dinner".

"Fine." She wasn't going to offer anything that was her current strategy, only answer direct questions and don't for pete's sake embellish.

"How is 'the gang' doing?"

"Good. Real good."

"Most must be juniors now, aren't they?"

Oh.. he was nasty she thought… no wonder criminals that didn't know him would be lulled into a false sense of security. Problem was she knew what road this conversation was headed down but had no way of changing the direction, all she could do was slow the progress of the trip and maybe if there was enough site seeing along the way she might be able to fore stall the inevitable spectacular crash at the destination point.

"Yep"

"I heard Steven say he even had some Junior classes" Gibbs continued.

Seeing as he had made a statement and not asked a question CJ continued to eat her noodles in silence.

"You mustn't see as much of them as you did last year."

Again a statement, again silence. She ate and listened, she made sure she kept appropriate amounts of eye contact looking away to get another mouthful but looking back up, not fidgeting, responding in a casual tone of voice. Avoiding all the tell tale sign of guilt, it was hard, because man oh' man did she feel guilty.

He ate quietly for a while. Since the last time he'd been involved with direct discipline she'd changed, a lot. She was holding her own in a conversation that in the past she would have folded long ago. Her body language continued to be relaxed and her tone was even. At that point he thought that she might have been able to pull off a convincing lie had he not been filled in on what had been happening by both Mr. Cooperland and Mr. Black this afternoon. He wasn't trying to get her to land herself in more trouble, by having her lie, but he was curious as to whether or not she would try to cross THAT line.

"You been staying out of trouble this year?" he let casually drop.

For the slightest moment CJ tensed, again if he hadn't been a trained investigator he probably wouldn't have caught it. She took her time in answering and he allowed her that courtesy.

Taking another mouthful of noodles and shaking her head she answered "nope and you already know that" raising her eyebrows in a truly Gibbs fashion to show that she too wasn't in the dark about the situation. She wanted him to know that they had been playing this game on equal footing, she was orchestrating just as much as he was. It may take every ounce of her concentration to do what was second nature to him but she wasn't going to be out played.

He laughed. Not at her gall but at how well she had been able to hold her own. "Oh CJ" was all he said for a long time. They sat quietly eating, eyeing each other as two panthers might circling each other before they pounced. CJ knew she wasn't going to be first; she just wanted to maintain her place in the game.

It wasn't until they had both finished eating that he decided he should continue where they had left off.

"So what have you been up to then?" his tone remaining conversational.

She began to explain her day to day routine and made sure to leave out any wrong doings. She wasn't giving in that easily. He waited for a pause and quickly interjected in a much more authoritative tone "CJ!"

"I thought you wanted to know what I was up to?" playing the innocent very dramatically.

The glare along with the change in tone and posture had her rethink her next move pretty quickly.

"CJ, what were you up to?"

"You gosh well know what I was up to, I am sure Mr. Cooperland and or Mr. Black have filled you in with quite enough detail that I don't need to elaborate." Trying to invoke a determined yet not impolite tone.

Collecting himself as he wanted this to be a conversation and not a one sided rant that he was sure it would turn into anyway.

"CJ what I would like to know is what were you thinking when you chose to deliberately flaunt the rules?"

"Did they not tell you my reasoning? I AM disappointed as I made sure that with every trip to one of their offices I explained myself and why I was choosing the path I was. I will have to go and have a word with them for not listening very well."

The growl that was emitted from his throat suggested that she had crossed the line from determined to cheeky. She swiftly stopped talking but didn't bow her head, or change her posture on any way. She was going to make him work to win. She wasn't going to hand it to him.

And then it happened the tenor of the atmosphere changed, he wasn't playing any more, he meant business. He hadn't said a word, he barely moved, only straightening slightly and his expression shifted almost imperceptibly.

"CJ" he began and then he continued to admonish. He talked for a very long time, which really was unusual for Gibbs as he was generally a man of few words. CJ found out he felt very strongly about education.

He also made sure to point out that when you are told to do something you do it, whether you like it or not. Unfortunately CJ made some ridiculous comment about him giving orders and not having to follow them and that sent him on a whole other diatribe she decided immediately she should have avoided.

And then there was silence. Then he offered that this was her opportunity to give any further mitigating circumstance. She spent the next few minutes explaining her actions and how she had tried to "solve" the problem with the guidance counselor and how although there was no precedent for what she was suggesting there were similar situations with students she knew in the gifted program that had a similar set up to what CJ was suggesting. She had made sure to make enquiries incase she had opportunity to continue this argument with the administration at the school. That was before the administration called in for family backup.

She concluded her 'testimony' as it were and remained in her seat scrutinizing his expression and bearing. He had become unreadable. He had put up a façade and she was unable to determine what his next move would be. Since she was newer to this game she had been using his words, reactions and conduct and how she read them to make her next move. He was calling the game, he knew he'd won. There was never any doubt about the victor but she thought she was probably lucky to have been allowed to play the game in the first place.

He sat there waiting. He could wait a lot longer if he needed to. He knew what she wanted to know specifically how the game would end, but he wasn't going to give the information freely. She was going to have to ask. He could see the battle rage behind her eyes, sit quietly and wait until her fate was handed to her or ask what was the next step? and get things rolling. Waiting was really hard in her position; he knew that from personal experience. But her need to feel triumphant even on the smallest of levels was keeping her from 'getting it over with'.

He was surprised at how long she had sat quietly and when she opened her mouth he prepared to answer the question he expected. Problem was she asked "Uncle Gibbs did you ever cut class when you were in high school?" and caught him off guard.


	6. Chapter 6

Gibbs was not accustomed to being caught off guard and so he was unable to hide the look of surprise that crept across his face. It was there only a few seconds but CJ saw it and in her world she felt that she'd gained many points in the game with that one question. She could allow the game to end without a fight. CJ sat examining her uncle, would he answer the question or chose this as the time to finally jump in for the 'kill' as it were. Patience was a virtue that did not come easily to CJ, but through her 15 years of life situations like this had forced her to learn the benefits of it. And so she waited.

He sat there, trying to interpret her reasoning for the question. He knew she had tried to gain ground in the verbal competition, which she clearly had but he also felt that she wanted and needed the answer. Throughout CJ's life she sat at the dinner table, stood around Abby's lab, collected in the squad room listening to stories. Stories of Tony pulling pranks at military school and at work, stories of Ziva trying to find her place in the world, stories of Gibbs in fist fights at school, but in all the telling of those stories no one finished them completely. No one explained that each and every one of them ended with a sore ass. CJ followed in their footsteps and although her fate was no different than any of them, she spoke of being the only one persecuted or punished for the wrong doings. Maybe it was time for her to hear how their stories ended. Maybe she needed to hear that she was no alone. It might help later tonight when she would be in bed nursing the sorest backside she would ever experience.

So he began. "Yes." And then he paused as her reaction made him huff a laugh. CJ leaned forward on her elbows across the table bringing her knees up on to the chair and said "Go on" to encourage a more detailed account.

"Once. Just once my buddy Doug and I decided that it was too nice a day to go to class." He paused again to watch CJ's reaction, she simply nodded in a way he understood to mean 'keep going'.

"It was such a beautiful late spring day, warm, sunny you didn't need a coat and it had been such a long winter. That morning we had walked all the way to the front doors before we looked at each other and together decided that no one would notice us missing and if they did we could write a note saying we were sick. So we quickly high tailed it out of there and headed for the river on the edge of town. No one would find us there and we could spend the day hanging out in the sunshine. What we didn't realize was that the sheriff always did loop past the clearing where we were camped out every day looking for truant kids. We had inadvertently picked the most popular hangout spot for those who were cutting class."

CJ was actually laughing at the image she had conjured from his description, laying back, hanging out only to be rudely jolted back into reality by the local sheriff, another time that Gibbs had been caught off guard.

"So.." he continued giving her a mock glare "The sheriff snuck up on us and grabbed the collars on our shirts and pulled us to our feet. Doug and I just stood there, not knowing what to do or say." CJ laughed, Gibbs in a situation he didn't know how to get out of, a situation he wasn't in control of. "The sheriff hauled us to his cruiser and unceremoniously threw us in the back. He didn't ask any questions, he just drove us back to school in silence. He got out of the cruiser and came around to the back of the car and easily dragged us up the front walk through the front doors and down the hall to the front office. He deposited one of us on each side of the door to the office, backs to the corridor, noses pressed against the wall. And he went into Principal McEldery's office. My stomach was doing summersaults, it hadn't gone at all according to plan we'd only missed our first class. I was keeping my fingers crossed that we'd just get a good tongue lashing as we had never tried such a thing before. The sheriff was only in there for a minute or two before he strode passed us without so much as glance in either of our direction. I didn't dare look at Doug, I just stood there waiting."

"Sucks doesn't it" CJ commiserated with him as if he had been in the situation only yesterday.

"Ya think" smiling back at her. When he didn't finish, CJ prompted "and?"

"We waited for what felt like hours but it was probably no more than 10 minutes. And then Mr. McEldery's angry voice came out of the partially open door… Douglas Appleton get in here NOW… Doug and I looked at each other, my hopes of only a tongue lashing dashed if he was calling us in separately. Doug walked in at a snail's pace dragging out the inevitable and closed the door. Listening to Doug take his licks first did nothing to slow my racing heart and when Doug ambled out, cheeks shiny with tears, I almost ran. I probably would have if my feet could have carried me anywhere."

CJ's astonished look that her Gibbs had been scared, had wanted to run and hide just like she had on many occasions made her feel part of something bigger. They shared a common experience, a common feeling; he really did understand what it was like to be a kid. He got that it sucked to have gotten yourself into a tight spot and want so badly to bolt to get out of it, but knowing that running would only make it worse.

"Don't look so surprised my angel. You're not the only one in this family to cross a line or two." His plan was to stop the conversation there, he had shared more than he would have normally felt comfortable with in general. But CJ had other plans. "So…" she forced. "So What?" he replied disingenuously.

She dropped her shoulders and head and glared at him through the top of her eyes. "You gosh darn well know what… keep going… that is NOT the end of the story."

Exhaling, grimacing and giving CJ a playful "really?" He continued.

"Douglas walked away not even acknowledging that I was standing there. I watched him stiffly walk all the way down the hall before Mr. McEldery's command came from inside the office 'Leroy Gibbs' get in here NOW. I entered the office to face the music, not for the first or last time." Gibbs waited so that the last sentence had time to register with CJ. She didn't react as surprised but he could see she was filing the information away for later use. He then continued with his story. "He lectured for a short time. I don't really remember what he said but it ended with 'bend over'. The paddle flew fast and furious and minutes later I too was walking stiffly to the boy's room to splash water on my face and then make my way to class." Again he tried to stop the rendition but CJ kept prodding.

"I was sitting very uncomfortably and was very happy when the final bell rang and Doug and I started to walk home together. His dad owned a business down the street from Jack and we commiserated about our ill fated day. We were both happy that neither of us had been given punishment slips to have signed. Thinking that Mr. McEldery had thought he'd made enough of an impact that we didn't need to spread the news to the home front."

He took a long pause so that CJ had an opportunity to realize just how similar his and her stories were. He had walked home thinking he was free and clear just as she had thought that very afternoon. CJ liked that he too saw the parallels and her feeling of belonging and being understood grew. " She motioned with her hands to get him to continue this time.

"I walked into the store, striding as naturally as I could muster and tried to quickly excuse myself saying I had a lot of homework and I needed to go to the back kitchen. I didn't need him to say anything to realize he knew. He just let me work at the table without a word but I would catch him staring at me. My stomach was doing more than just summersaults. Jack wasn't known for being a forgiving man."

CJ quickly interjected "and you are?" ending with a DiNozzo smile to keep the atmosphere light.

"No… you're right… I come by it honestly is all I'm saying… Anyway Jack closed the store, made us dinner and ate in complete silence. He was creeping my out. I would have rather he was screaming and yelling. When we'd cleaned up from supper he just pointed to the stairs. I knew what to do. Go to my room and wait, again. I hated waiting."

"Some things don't change" she added under her breath.

"I went to bed right after our _discussion,_ having received the nastiest strapping of my life to that point. I NEVER tried to cut class again. It really wasn't worth it." These last few comments were rather pointed and held a different tenor than the rest of the story had.

The two sat facing each other across the kitchen table, watching, studying and waiting. Neither wanted to move to the next step and so they drew out the waiting. Something they both hated as much as each other.

Actually trying to stall this time CJ asked "Where are my parents?"

Although he saw this for what it was, he realized he was amazed she hadn't asked earlier. "They had to go up north on a case and were staying locally for the evening because they were pretty sure they couldn't get everything finished today and it was too far to go back and forth."

"When did they get the call?" she needed this information as it would tell her if Mr. Cooperland had called Gibbs directly or if Tony had called for backup.

"About zero nine hundred." Not knowing where this line of questioning was going he just answered directly.

She was trying to decide what that meant with regards to who got what call when, as understanding dawned on Gibbs. He momentarily felt pity for not knowing what to expect and being ambushed so to speak. Recalling his youthful indiscretions helped to lend understanding to certain feelings. Without being asked he offered "Mr. Cooperland called Tony at work this morning before he met with you, but Tony was already on the road, as was Ziva, so he asked the principal to call me for the meeting as I was your guardian when they were out of town. I got the phone call just after your meeting and went to the school this afternoon to talk with him."

"Hmmm" CJ sat there still thinking.

"CJ, I don't think postponing the inevitable is going to make it any easier." He tried to suggest gently.

"Ya, I know, I just…." She didn't finish her sentence she didn't really have anything to say.

In the time it took for her to say the last few words his posture and expression had changed to portray a more business tone. She swallowed hard boosting every last bit of bravado she had in her. She stood, waiting instructions. He didn't stand immediately but instead he started to explain "I am only here to deal with cutting class, your father wants to deal with forging his signature separately when he gets home tomorrow afternoon."

Unable to contain the sarcasm in her tone she replied "PARDON ME?"

"Was there something specific in what I said you didn't understand?" His tone and expression hardened to steel.

"But that's not fair" she couldn't help that she said that, it just sort of slipped out in a whine.

"FAIR? Do you really want to get into that conversation? Because I am pretty sure you don't!"

Without further hesitation he stood and walked across the kitchen, front hall into the living room. CJ's feet remained planted not able to bring herself to follow. He turned towards the kitchen and crooked his finger towards her and gestured for her to come to him. Determination and bravado both slipping away quickly she didn't move. His finger beckoned her again and he added, "Don't make me come and get you" in one of the scariest tones she had ever heard him utter. She was standing in front of him in seconds. It was with a tilt of his head and a look that instructed her to turn, take down her jeans and assume the position over the back of the couch. She followed through each movement deliberate and measured. She had only lowered herself part way over the couch when he demanded "lose the underwear as well CJ".

A sarcastic and very defiant "Absolutely NOT" was only half out of her mouth when the strap, she hadn't seen him pick up landed across the middle of her thighs and the NOT turned into a loud "n…. OOOOWWWW". She looked at him over her shoulder and he raised his hand again, before it fell she quietly said "ok" and lowered her underpants to her ankles. No one had ever made her do that before and she was mostly humiliated but also a little worried. She knew that the thin cotton offered little to no protection but why then was she being asked to take them off. The answer was offered by Gibbs without her needing to voice it. "You are about to get the whipping of your life, but I need to make sure that I don't actually injure you."

Somewhere deep down a speck of humor seeped out and CJ jokingly said "Yikes" maybe it was in hopes of lightening the mood, or making her feel better about the predicament she found herself in. She didn't see him smile. Yikes was really what she was thinking. In the few seconds before the strapping began in earnest CJ recalled the last time he'd threatened to administer the whipping of her life. She'd gotten into a heap of trouble at school that time as well.

Maintaining any stoicism lasted for the first 3 licks only and quickly fell into the wayside. She'd been strapped before on several occasions, by both her father and Gibbs. Yet she could not recall any of those licks leaving the intensity of fire that those 3 had. And they were only at 3, shit she thought, he wasn't just threatening. She began crying between lick 4 and 5. And by lick 6 she was yelling out a loud "OwW" each time the strap landed. The fact that she had already taken a solid paddling that afternoon didn't even register as she was now thinking those were definitely love taps compared to what she was enduring at that very moment.

He continued to lay it on hard and he watched as it turned from a blush of pink to an angry red to a blazing inferno and that is when he finally placed the strap on the mantle before letting CJ stand. He knew she wouldn't be able to stand right away anyway. Her humiliation of having been bare had disappeared during the punishment but quickly returned. She dressed and stood in the middle of the floor sobbing. Gibbs approach with trepidation and wrapped his arms around her after assessing if she would accept his comfort. CJ was crying into her hands her arms caught between her own body and Gibbs. She had long ago got over the guilt of the misdoing and was now simply crying because it hurt, a lot, and she was in for round 2 tomorrow when her father got home. She cried just as many tears in self pity as she did for current pain.

It took CJ a very long time to get control of her racking sobs. He stood holding her the whole time. Every so often he planted a kiss on the top of her head. When she was finally able to speak coherently she gently pushed herself away from his chest, but he still had his arms around her. She looked up into his eyes and for the second time in her life saw them glistening with tears of his own. She shifted her position in his arms and hugged him tightly and cried just a little longer. When she got control of her voice again she returned her gaze to his face and asked "Did Jack whip you that hard when you cut class?"

Drawing her back into his chest, kissing the top of her head again, all he said was "ya, ya he did."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N – spoilers for season 3 Frame up – I do not own any of the NCIS characters or stories…. **

CJ spent a long time in the shower and winced when she dressed in her pj's even though she'd chosen her softest flannel ones. She thought she would have trouble falling asleep, anxiety building over what was to come the next day when her father got home. But the emotional turmoil had been exhausting enough that she quickly dropped off to sleep when she finally found a comfortable position.

Gibbs spent an hour that evening standing in her door way watching as the covers rose and fell with each breath.

He remembered all the times he had enjoyed with this kid. Not having a biological family of his own, he had adopted his work family. They had all needed one as much as he had. They had become as close as any that were tied by blood.

His sadness as he stared into the darkened room came not from the events of the evening but from the understanding that it was only a few years before she would be graduating from high school and going away to college. His time with her was already sporadic but would diminish to holiday dinners in only a few short years. But he was thankful for the time he had been allowed with her. While standing alone he decided to make sure he spent more recreational time with CJ.

He slept on the couch that night as he had so many other nights when Tony and Ziva were out of town. In the morning it was CJ's turn to stand in the door way and stare. She'd gone to bed so early she had woken as the sun was rising and what was rare occasion had found Gibbs still asleep. He looked peaceful laying there. A countenance she wouldn't normally use to describe her "uncle". She replayed the story he had told her the night before. Her Gibbs out of sorts, caught off guard, not in control. It was hard to imagine. Instead of shattering some fake persona she may have had of him it strengthened her belief that he was a strong individual who had grown into this man through many experiences and although many of them were ones that no one else shared with him, some were very much the same. In the past couple of years her time with Gibbs had diminished exponentially. As she got older she wasn't in need of someone at the house when she got home from school and so spent many evenings alone. She saw him at family events, the occasional night her parents were out of town and this past summer when she had gotten herself into a spot of trouble. But compared to elementary school where she would have seen him at least a couple nights a week it didn't feel like often enough.

In those early morning moments with the sun peeking through the shades and casting shadows across his face CJ decided she would spend more 'fun' time with Gibbs. Neither of them was getting any younger.

He woke to find her leaning against the doorway staring at him. He laughed inwardly wondering if she knew he'd done the same in her doorway last night.

"You want breakfast" she asked.

"Sure, whatcha offering?"

Together they made their way to the kitchen. He started coffee and CJ started bacon and eggs. Not her usual fare but more Gibbs style than her oatmeal. There was no tension or difficulty in there speech and they talked about friends, school and his latest project in his basement.

Gibbs set the table and CJ brought the food over and served it out onto their plates. Gibbs sat and began eating. CJ leaned on the table and shoved the chair to the side.

With raised eyebrows he looked to the chair and then CJ. "Aw c'mon Gibbs, it hurts and not just a little".

"How many times have we told you sitting on it is part of the punishment? If you don't have to sit on it, you can't be reminded of why it hurts in the first place" he said matter of factly.

"I remember just fine thank you. I don't need.." that is as far as she got before he growled and she hooked her foot around the leg of the chair and brought it into sitting distance. She looked pleadingly at him one last time and he said nothing but returned to eating his eggs.

She exaggerated the humph when she sat down carefully barely letting her backside touch the chair. He didn't respond to her theatrics.

In general she spent Saturday morning finishing any chores around the house and then spent the afternoons with Steven out at the park or on the trails. Not thinking she was going to be allowed to escape for the afternoon and wasn't sure what Gibbs was going to do. She could easily spend Saturday mornings alone and was he going to leave or stay. She ate contemplating the plan of action.

He finished breakfast and cleared away his dishes. "Let's get going. There are a bunch of things that need attention around here."

CJ got to her feet and cleared her spot as he went to the basement to find Tony's tools that he would need to work on things.

Together they rehung the kitchen door that didn't close properly. They changed the rubber washer in the ensuite sink that was forever dripping. The tightened the front door handle that twisted in a strange way each time you tried to enter. Before lunch they even fixed the down spout outside and oiled the garage door sliders that stuck when you opened it. CJ's general knowledge of how things worked, how to fix them and how to look after them was much higher than the average 15 year old. Heck it was better than her parent's in some respects. Neither was much of a handyman and that's why most of these little things were still on the "to do list".

As the two washed up and made sandwiches for lunch the wrestling centipedes made a nasty come back in her gut. Time marched on with little regard for her sanity. She had no way of predicting when her parents would arrive home. And no way of knowing if the day to mull things over would have her father in a more forgiving mood or just heighten his anger. Sitting through lunch only reminded her that even the gentlest of reprimands was going to be painful.

It only took Gibbs all of 3 seconds to sense the change in CJ's demeanor as lunch progressed. The teen that had been in her position felt for her, the adult sitting in front of her knew that she needed to learn now that making poor choices had severe consequences and it was better to take a sound thrashing now then be standing in front of judge having committed the federal offence of forgery.

Reaching across the table he popped her gently under her chin and his sparkling eyes conveyed the sympathy he was feeling without words.

"Thanks… you don't happen to know when he's going to be home do you?" hoping that maybe knowing the timing would help the wriggling centipedes to slow down even if only for an hour or so.

He shook his head in response. "Hey, we still have some work out in the yard, the back fence gate is crooked and we can finish insulating the pipes in the basement."

Getting to work helped her ignore the wrestling centipedes even if they wouldn't slow down. She had enjoyed the story about Gibbs the evening before and asked if he had any more to share. Wanting to avoid any more stories about his somewhat misspent youth he decided to would share stories about work.

"Did you ever hear about the first time your father was framed for murder?" he asked.

"First time? There was more than once?" She asked quizzically.

"Ya, twice. Anyway the first time we found a pair of legs hidden under a bush in Quantico. Everything pointed to Tony. Too perfect really… but still… the FBI got involved… your dad spent several days in jail… even got so far as being booked before we figured out that it was a disgruntled lab tech." He continued the story taking CJ step by step through the forensics, the story and what happened to her dad.

CJ always heard about the heroic things that her family had done. The moments of bomb defusing, the stupendous leaps of ingenuity to catch the perp. She rarely heard when things went wrong or suggested that they may not have followed all the rules while perusing the truth. She enjoyed the story. She was stressed as he described the list of evidence that grew to implicate Tony, even knowing the outcome. She gasped at how Abby had hog tidied the culprit with duck tape. Now she knew why Abby would feign panic whenever someone suggested she needed an assistant. CJ laughed and enjoyed the stories and didn't notice as most of the afternoon passed by. Gibbs suggested they needed a late afternoon coffee break as the pot he'd made at lunch was finished and he needed to brew some more.

The click of the front door opening made CJ jump and she instinctively stepped behind Gibbs so that he was between her and the front door. He turned and looked over his shoulder at her "What do you think you're doing back there?" he asked accusingly.

"Self preservation" she offered in a questioning tone.

"You don't think I'd hand you over?" Giving his best questioning glare "'cause you're sorely mistaken if you think that's the case".

"I can always dream, can't I?"

This is the point in which Tony walked into the kitchen, seeing his daughter definitely 'hiding' behind Gibbs looking up into his face while he looked back down at her over his shoulder still maintaining his position between the two DiNozzos.

Ziva greeted them from the front hall and then headed up to her bathroom to shower and change into something clean. She really didn't want to be in the middle of this, she agreed with Tony, CJ had forged his signature, used his name and therefore it was between the two of them.

"Hey Dad, good case?" CJ tried to sound casual and keep the topic squarely in the realm of work and away from her. She knew she couldn't avoid it forever but if she could get him to laugh or smile he'd be easier to talk to.

Both men shook their heads looking at her. "Not going to work CJ" Gibbs whispered in her direction.

Tony snapped his fingers and pointed to the stairs. CJ knew he wanted her in her room and quickly made her way there making sure to take a wide berth around him in case he wanted to get in an extra swat.

The coffee was finished brewing and they stood leaning against the counter. They discussed the case for a few minutes and then moved onto the trouble making teen that was lying on her bed waiting nervously.

"When she messes up she doesn't to it mildly does she?" Tony suggested to Gibbs.

"And where do you think she gets that from?"

"I know… her mother is such a trouble maker!" both men laughing heartily.

"You sticking around for supper? Won't take me long to finish upstairs and we can call for some curry." Tony asked.

"Ya, I can finish the insulating until supper as soon as I'm finished" he said holding up his mug of coffee.

Tony turned and made his way up the stairs two at a time. He'd had two days to think about how to handle this situation. He'd had to two days to come up with a plan. He took a deep breath and then stepped into his daughter's room. She was lying across the bed listening to her ipod, trying to lose herself in the music. Thinking about what was coming next wouldn't make it any easier or miraculously have it not happen. She looked at him acknowledging his entrance but made no move to put her ipod away. He took it from her and put it on the desk as he rolled the chair over and straddled it backwards.

"You have anything to say for yourself before I say my piece?"

"Gibbs already did a good job of reminding me my duties as a student and so I really don't need you to help out." CJ darned well that this conversation was supposed to about the forged signatures. She also knew that not only would the forged signatures be considered a form of lying so would the not telling her parents about what was happening at school. But all that didn't stop her from trying really hard to persuade her father that he didn't need to deliver the thrashing he was planning.

When her excuses were finished Tony began slowly and carefully explaining how forgery was a federal offence. How being convicted carried jail time, how he didn't take that sort of action lightly. He lectured for a long time, he never raised his voice, he just explained why it was wrong and that he was terribly disappointed. CJ felt miserable when he finally stopped talking. They spent a few moments watching each other in silence.

"Do you remember what happened the last time you forged my signature?"

"Ya" CJ answered quietly.

"Well? What happened?"

"Gibbs strapped me good" CJ embarrassedly answered.

"Doesn't seem that it had any impact now does it?"

"No… Ya… it did… I remember… I do" CJ rambling quickly. Where was he headed with this? Her mind started racing and so didn't hear his instructions the first time they were given. The swat brought her back to the present. "OW what was that for?" she asked angrily. It was at that moment she noticed he was holding out his large pocket knife.

"I told you to go and cut a switch and come back. You have 5 minutes. You don't want me to have to find you."

The information wasn't getting processed quick enough through her half panicked brain and so it wasn't until Tony had picked her up and placed her standing on her feet that she was able to sputter "you're kidding, RIGHT?"

"No I am not kidding. I have spent two days trying to find something that might drive the message home better than a strapping from Gibbs and this is the only solution I came to."

"Dad, really it isn't necessary. Talk to Gibbs he really laid it on hard last night. I promise I won't get myself in trouble again. Please, I really know, I understand, I do." She had only ever pleased with her mother but desperate times called for desperate measures. What in GOD's name was he thinking. He'd lost his marbles. She continued to plead, working herself into a frenzy when he finally put his index finger gently over her mouth and commanded "NOW, CJ, at this point you are only make things worse for yourself."

She took his knife and in a complete haze left her room and descended the stairs. She crossed the kitchen and exited through the back door. Shooting daggers from her eyes as she passed Gibbs she spat out "Is this horrible idea yours? Do I have you to blame for this?" Holding out the knife so that he could see it, his reaction suggested he was as astonished as she was. Huffing she stormed out the door and made sure to slam it just hard enough to make noise but not hard enough that she might damage the glass or hinges.

Approaching the large tree in the back yard she looked at the branches and then sank down under its canopy and started crying. Self pity had taken a hold and she was crying because she didn't want to be in the situation she was in. She went through and tried to blame everyone but herself. She cried harder realizing she couldn't find anyone else to blame. Feeling angry and frustrated she yelled "WHAT?" when Gibbs who was now standing beside called her name.

He crouched beside her, and gently placed his hand on her shoulder before talking. "CJ, Tony is looking for you. I really don't think you want him to get to you before you get to him. Do you?"

She had gotten so wrapped up in her self-pity that she had forgotten about the time limit to his instructions.

"Why are you crying now? Are those tears being shed for the 'right' reasons?" Leave it to him to ask the hard questions.

"No. They are not." She answered wiping her face and eyes alternating from one sleeve to the next to try and dry herself off.

She continued to sit there looking up at the tree. Gibbs felt for her. She was definitely on the receiving end of one hell of a punishment. He stood taking the knife from her as he did so and used it to cut an appropriate switch. He carefully cut off all the off shoots and then held out his hand to CJ to help her stand. She made another sweep of her sleeves to dry the newly fallen tears. He handed her the knife and switch, kissed her on the temple and then whispered into her ear "You'll be fine, he's not going to actually kill you". It had the desired effect. She smiled and even let a little laugh escape. With his arm around her shoulder he led her back in through the kitchen where they walked straight into an angry Tony.

"Tony, it's ok, she couldn't reach even the lowest branch." Feeling only slightly guilty Tony visibly calmed.

Gibbs headed to the basement to finish the job he'd started and Tony guided his daughter back up to her room. A fresh set of tears spilled down her cheeks. As soon as they were both in the room, Tony closed the door and quickly gave a list of instructions. "Take off your sweats and shorts, lay across the bed width wise near the end here" pointing to the foot of the bed. Again CJ was in a cloud and couldn't process everything at the speed that was expected.

Tony took over and simply tugged her clothing down to her ankles and then guided her into the position he had requested. CJ didn't fight and simply let him move her where he wanted. It was easier this way.

The first lash landed and CJ cried out immediately. Until that very moment she had thought that the instant blazing fire of the strap couldn't be matched. She was wrong. The switch was an immediate electrical line of fire. She quickly put her hands over her exposed behind in hopes of stopping the punishment right there. Her pleading began again. "Dad, I promise I won't do it again. No more please. Please." Tony hesitated he didn't want to continue as he saw the angry red welt that was raised across her backside.

"CJ move your hands, NOW!" It was almost impossible for her to do it but she took her hands away.

Quickly he applied two more lashes with vigor and then took the branch into both his hands and snapped it in half. Took the two pieces and again broke them in half again.

CJ laid there crying harder than she thought was possible. Her already tender ass was now an absolute inferno and she recognized that he'd only given her three lashes. She made a promise to herself that she would never find herself on the receiving end of a switch again. Yesterday she wouldn't have believed anyone if they had told her that something could hurt more than Gibbs' and his strap.

"CJ stand up" he said affectionately. "C'mon peanut, stand up"

CJ pushed herself back onto her feet. The lines on her ass blazed again. She cried even harder if that was even possible. She pulled up her clothing and stood there completely spent. Tears falling but only the sound of her hitched sobs could be heard. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her side to side as she finished crying. He didn't let go when she was finally silent. They stood for long enough that Ziva came to retrieve them for supper.

CJ excused herself and went to the washroom to wash her face in hopes of composing herself a little for supper.

Three adults stood silently in the kitchen. Ziva hugged Tony whispered "She'll be fine. You needed to make a point. I took more when I was a kid and lived to tell the tale" kissing him on the cheek she stepped away and got the food out on the table. Tony still stood there numb. He'd given CJ whippings on more than one occasion but hadn't felt this guilty before.

Gibbs patted him on the back and asked "You ok DiNozzo?"

"Boss, did I do the right thing?"

"I highly doubt you'll ever have to make that decision again if that makes you feel any better."

"No, I don't feel any better."

CJ entered a silent kitchen. She dished out food and went to the counter and leaned against it while she started to eat. CJ smiled back at the somber group. They took plates and food and all began to eat together. The conversation quickly went to the case that had kept them up North for the past 2 days.


	8. Chapter 8

By the time dinner was over the atmosphere was more relaxed and CJ decided that that she would find out whose wretched idea that switch was.

So when all of their heads were turned down ward looking at their plates she asked in an interrogation type tone "whose absolutely horrible idea was that switch?"

All heads turned to her in astonishment. Ziva elbowed Tony in the ribs and whispered in his ear "see I told you she'd be ok. She's our daughter you know."

"Well… I'm waiting… who was it?" CJ almost laughed at how the trio sat there looking dumb founded.

She stood above them all scrutinizing their faces trying to discover who came up with the idea.

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders, he hadn't given any ideas to Tony, and he'd just followed his lead. Ziva shook her head. That left Tony. CJ glared at him… "You came up with that idea all by yourself? I have you to blame? And you alone?"

"Ah … No… It was … it was Abby…" he guiltily spewed.

"You are blaming poor sweet Abby… for your nasty ideas." Gibbs and Ziva were laughing openly at Tony and CJ. Watching the tables being turned and CJ going after Tony was rather humorous.

"No… well she didn't tell me to… I just got the idea from her… ?"

"Continue… I'm listening" CJ was trying really hard to maintain a stern tone of voice but with all the laughter and her father's mock distress she was having trouble.

"Well on one of the occasions that I super glued McGeek's fingers to his keyboard and Gibbs…" he faltered slightly "… well Gibbs wasn't very happy…"

Gibbs laughed even harder and said under his breath "wasn't very happy… I tanned your hide good that time…"

It would have been hard to decide who was more shocked with Gibbs statement, Tony or CJ.

"Anyway I was whining to Abby in her lab about my fate and she told me about the time she super glued her little brother's head in a hard hat and then the hard hat to a bar and he ended up having to be shaved to get him free."

"Keep going" CJ encouraged.

"She told me I should be happy that I only got a strapping because in her case Gloria had made her cut a switch and a taken a rather severe switching for her super gluing antics. She said that the only thing that hurt more than Gibbs' strap was a switch. So you see that's why it's Abby's fault."

They all laughed. The conversation continued easily and they soon moved into the living room to visit. They hadn't sat and visited in a couple of months. They were up late and CJ fell asleep between Tony and Gibbs on the sofa.


End file.
